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A day after conflicting stories regarding whether an arrest warrant was issued for Aaron Hernandez for possibly obstructing justice in a homicide investigation, police returned to the Patriots tight end's home in North Attleboro, Mass., the New York Daily News reported.
Police showed up Saturday with two search dogs shortly before 2 p.m. ET, the report said.

The report went on to say that detectives have been combing through a large playhouse in Hernandez's backyard.

In addition, ABC News is reporting that an arrest warrant has been drawn up on obstruction of justice charges but has not yet been issued by the court.

Police are also searching a wooded area near Hernandez’s house, according to Nick Underhill from MassLive.com.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

• One endorsement partner has decided to part ways with the Patriots tight end. Hernandez signed a deal in August with Cytosport, which makes Muscle Milk.

“In light of the investigation involving Aaron Hernandez, CytoSport is terminating its endorsement contract with Mr. Hernandez, effective immediately,” a company spokesperson wrote in an email Friday.

• Hernandez tried to work out at Gillette Stadium on Thursday but was turned away by team staff, the Boston Herald reported.

• According to WBZ-TV, Hernandez hired the Boston law firm of Ropes and Gray.

Michael Fee, an attorney at Ropes and Gray, released a statement to the station on Wednesday.

“It has been widely reported in the media that the state police have searched the home of our client, Aaron Hernandez, as part of an ongoing investigation,” it read. “Out of respect for that process, neither we nor Aaron will have any comment about the substance of that investigation until it has come to a conclusion.”

• A law-enforcement official told FOX 25 that Hernandez left a Boston bar in a car with Lloyd and two other men in the hours that preceded the body’s discovery. The source told FOX 25 that Lloyd sent a text that referenced Hernandez. Three men returned to Hernandez’s home, but Lloyd was not one of them, the source told FOX 25. It’s unclear what transpired in the time between. Lloyd’s body was found near Hernandez’s home on Monday.

• ABC reports that video surveillance from Hernandez's neighborhood has been found that shows Hernandez with Odin Lloyd and two others only hours before Lloyd's body was found.

• Thomas Moore, the manager of Rumor nightclub in Boston, told the Boston Herald that Hernandez and Lloyd were at Rumor together last Friday. Hernandez and Lloyd sat together in a VIP section at a roped-off table with several other people.

• Police searched Hernandez’s home for a second day Wednesday. Hernandez was questioned by police on Monday night, SI.com reported.

• A lawsuit has been refiled in federal court in Florida in which a man alleges that Hernandez shot him in the face and caused numerous injuries which required facial reconstruction surgery. The lawsuit was originally filed June 13, but four days later, the case was dismissed because of a paperwork error, according to TMZ.

According to an AP report on Thursday, the lawsuit has been refiled. In it, Alexander Bradley claims that he and Hernandez were with a group in February at Tootsie's club in Miami when the two got into an argument. Later, as they were driving to Palm Beach County, Bradley claims Hernandez shot him with a handgun, causing him to lose his right eye. USA Today is reporting, citing a police spokeswoman, that Palm Beach County police will not be investigating if Hernandez was involved in a February shooting without the cooperation of the alleged victim. The case case could be reopened if Bradley contacted the sheriff's violent crime unit.

• Bristol District Attorney Samuel Sutter's office said investigators were asking for the public's help to find a silver mirror cover believed to have broken off a car between Boston and North Attleborough. According to the Attleborough Sun Chronicle, Massachusetts state police are looking for another rental car in connection with the homicide investigation, a silver 2013 Chrysler 300.

• FOX 25 reported that on Tuesday police stopped two men who attempted to leave Hernandez's property. According to FOX 25, both men were seen later entering the local police station in North Attleboro and were later released. One of the men taken in told a FOX 25 reporter that police had confiscated his phone, and also said he knew nothing about the reported victim.

Members of the Massachusetts State Police walk toward the front door of the home of Patriot's tight end Aaron Hernandez in North Attleborough, Mass., on Wednesday.
Erika Niedowski
• WBZ-TV Boston has also reported “a neighbor of Odin’s told WBZ they had seen Hernandez in the neighborhood and that Odin dated the sister of Hernandez’s girlfriend.” ABC News later reported that Hernandez shares his home with his girlfriend Shayanna Jenkins, who is the mother of his infant daughter and that her sister, Shanea Jenkins, dated Odin.

EARLIER …

• Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, said police told her the body was that of her son. "My son is a wonderful child," she said, crying as she spoke outside the family's home in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. "He's a family guy. He hasn't done anything to hurt anyone."

• Tuesday night, police spent hours at Hernandez’s house as another group of officers searched an industrial park where the body was found Monday. According to FOX 25, some authorities walked around Hernandez's driveway and in the garage with flashlights. Before wrapping up their work for the night, one officer took a box out of the massive house. Later Wednesday, at least seven state troopers searched both sides of a road just off the street where Hernandez lives. The officers used thin poles to pull back plants and search through undergrowth along the road.

• Sports Illustrated reported that the original link between Hernandez and the case was a rented Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island plates that police had been searching for.

• Hernandez is represented by the Athletes First agency, which said it has no comment "on the Aaron Hernandez situation." His mother said by phone from Connecticut on Tuesday she had no knowledge of a case involving him. "I am aware of the reports, but I do not anticipate that we will be commenting publicly during an ongoing police investigation," Stacey James said.

BACKGROUND

• North Attleborough is south of Boston on the Rhode Island state line, not far from the Patriots' stadium in Foxboro.

FALLS FROM GRACE
Some sports icons were on top of the world until they lost respect with these epic falls from grace.
• The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL.

• In 38 games, the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Hernandez has 175 receptions for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April, but is expected to be healthy for training camp. The Patriots have not said which shoulder was operated on.

• Last summer, the Patriots gave Hernandez a five-year contract. It was worth $40 million, according to reports, and came just months after the team locked up Gronkowski through 2019

Last edited by fordfixer; 06-22-2013 at 05:00 PM.

Molon labe

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

American metal pimped by asiansteel
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Before the New England Patriots won what would be the second of three Super Bowl titles in a four-season span, then-player personnel director Scott Pioli shed some light on how the franchise assembled its roster.

“The things that people refer to as intangibles we do not see as intangible at all,” Pioli told the media prior to New England's 32-29 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII, back in 2004.

“A player’s makeup, his character, integrity, leadership — all those things are very tangible. And they have a say in how we try to build our football team.”

Such a philosophy became known as the Patriot Way.

Almost a decade later, the Patriots have lost their way.

The latest reason to question some of the personnel decisions made in recent years by head coach Bill Belichick: Tight end Aaron Hernandez’s potential involvement in a recent Massachusetts homicide case.

Not that Belichick or the Patriots need apologize for one of the most impressive stretches in NFL history. The results speak for themselves.

New England has won at least 10 games for 10 consecutive seasons. Along the way, the Patriots have played in five Super Bowls and won three of them. They reached two other AFC Championship Games, including last season’s 28-13 home loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore.

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
Police have been searching Aaron Hernandez's house and surrounding areas. See Photos.
Yet there was a time when it seemed New England owner Robert Kraft might need to build an extension onto Patriot Place to fit more Lombardi Trophies. Instead, six other franchises — the New York Giants (twice), Pittsburgh (twice), Baltimore, Green Bay, New Orleans and Indianapolis — have captured titles since the Patriots defeated Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

There is no single factor to explain why the Patriots have fallen short. Some years there were better teams. Tom Brady missed almost the entire 2008 season with a knee injury. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski was gimpy in Super Bowl XLVI.

Pure luck plays a role, too. With a couple of breaks here and there, Brady could have enough rings for both hands.

One of the reasons he doesn’t: The quality of Brady’s supporting cast has gradually diminished. His quarterbacking prowess and the outstanding coaching of Belichick and his staff has largely helped the Patriots overcome the drop in talent.

Trying to compensate for that dip, Belichick has proved more willing in recent years to gamble on players with character issues after finding earlier success with wide receiver Randy Moss and running back Corey Dillon.

Obviously, not every NFL player will have the choir-boy image of Tim Tebow (who, ironically, may end up helping the Patriots weather the likely loss of Hernandez if Tebow converts from quarterback to tight end). But Belichick’s belief that some leopards can change their spots has created its own set of headaches and bad publicity even as the majority of Patriots have steered clear of legal trouble and bad decisions.

* The Patriots dealt draft choices for wide receiver Chad Johnson and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in 2011 after bad behavior with their prior teams got them placed on the trading block. Neither caused problems in New England, but both were major flops.

* New England made cornerback Alfonzo Dennard a 2012 seventh-round choice despite a predraft felony arrest on charges he assaulted a police officer. Dennard recently was sentenced to 30 days in jail following the 2013 season and two years probation.

* The Patriots used three picks in 2009 and 2010 on players who reportedly failed college drug tests — Hernandez, linebacker Brandon Spikes and wide receiver Brandon Tate.

Tate was waived in 2011 and now plays for Cincinnati. Spikes and linebacker-defensive lineman Jermaine Cunningham, another 2010 second-round selection, both have served four-game NFL suspensions after testing positive for banned performance-enhancing substances.

As for Hernandez, his recent troubles have been well documented.

* The Patriots traded with Tampa Bay last October for cornerback Aqib Talib, who served a four-game suspension earlier in the season for a PED violation. Talib served a one-game suspension in 2010 for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy after being arrested for simple battery and resisting arrest the previous season.

* Tampa Bay also sent running back LaGarrette Blount to New England in April. Blount served a 10-game suspension while at the University of Oregon after sucker-punching a Boise State football player in the face.

The current situation with Hernandez stings the most. The Patriots were so confident Hernandez had moved beyond the college character concerns that caused his fourth-round slide in the 2010 draft that he was given a seven-year, $41.2 million contract extension with a $12.5 million signing bonus during the 2012 offseason.

As much as New England’s prosperity during its run of three Super Bowl wins bred contempt among opposing teams and fans, the professionalism of Patriots players was respected. The 2003 roster featured 35 players with college degrees, the NFL’s second-highest total behind Carolina (42) and Indianapolis (37). The Patriots were considered as smart as they were athletically talented. It showed on the field.

Why did this start to change?

Maybe it was Pioli’s departure to Kansas City in 2009. There was a mutual respect between Pioli and Belichick that generated give-and-take and sometimes saved the franchise from taking what later proved to be regrettable risks. Belichick, who has final say on all personnel moves, might not be receiving enough pushback from his current front-office members to avoid making these types of mistakes.

Maybe Belichick placed too much faith in the predraft feedback of friend Urban Meyer. Belichick selected five University of Florida players from when Meyer was the Gators’ head coach. Hernandez, Spikes and Cunningham are three of them.

TROUBLE WITH THE LAW
Several NFL players have been arrested in the offseason. Take a peek at who made the list.
Wide receiver Chad Jackson, a 2006 second-round pick, was a bust. Belichick also cut 2006 seventh-round pick Jeremy Mincey, who has started every game in Jacksonville at defensive end the past two seasons.

Maybe it was just bad luck and can come with the territory when trying to nab a bargain.

There is no guessing about what must come next in New England. Belichick needs to take a long look at the kinds of people he is bringing into the franchise. The integrity that Pioli spoke about must begin to carry more weight again.

Better character on the roster doesn’t guarantee Belichick and Brady will win another Super Bowl before they retire. But with what is transpiring in New England, it sure wouldn’t hurt.

Molon labe

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

American metal pimped by asiansteel
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

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Could there be 4 shootings now? Looks like there's still an open investigation into a shooting of 2 more guys in Florida when Aaron began his career there:

"Within months of beginning his collegiate football career in Gainesville, Fla., Hernandez was one of four players interviewed by police after an early morning shooting at a night club left two men wounded. No one was ever charged in the shootings of Justin Glass and Corey Smith, and Gainesville police said Friday they would not release the police report because it is still considered an open investigation."